New Developments, New Books

 2024 is off to a rip-roaring start. The first and biggest development is the publishing contract I signed with Aethon Books (https://aethonbooks.com/). They will be publishing a new military science fiction/space opera series I have begun writing. The new books feature a protagonist named Cliff Rawlins, and are set in a new universe. 

The series will include at least three books. The first book, Rawlins's Redemption, is already being edited. As soon as I have a better idea of when Aethon would like to release it, I will share the news.

In addition to Rawlins's Redemption, I also just finished writing the eighth FitzDuncan adventure, FitzDuncan's Navy. That is also in the process of being edited. The extremely talented Thea Magerand has already designed the cover, and I think it's the best one yet.  For the first time, readers will get to see what Fenwick looks like.

Next, I was just informed that The Courage of the Commonwealth was named as a Finalist in the 2024 Feathered Quill Awards. 

Finally, the audiobook version of The Resolve of the Commonwealth is available for pre-order right now on audible. Alex Picard has done a marvelous job of bringing my characters to life. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I did.

Awards and more awards

In the last week, I was excited to learn that some of my books were chosen for a couple of awards. I can't lie--validation like this is food for my soul. When complete strangers pick your work out of hundreds of entries as something worthy of recognition, it's a nice feeling.

The two different organizations that contacted me are the Best Book Awards (BBA), and indieBRAG (Book Readers Appreciation Group). I urge you to visit their websites to find other award-winning books (http://americanbookfest.com/2023bbafullresults.html and https://www.bragmedallion.com/). Here are the books that they honored:

The 20th Annual "Best Book" Awards
Sponsored by American Book Fest™

The Defense of the Commonwealth by John J. Spearman

Independently Published

Finalist

Fiction: Science Fiction

FitzDuncan by John J. Spearman

Independently Published

Finalist

Fiction: Fantasy

B.R.A.G. Medallion Honorees

We are proud to announce that THE DEFENSE OF THE COMMONWEALTH by John Spearman has been honored with the B.R.A.G. Medallion (Book Readers Appreciation Group). It now joins the very select award-winning, reader-recommended books at indieBRAG.

We are proud to announce that PIKE'S POTENTIAL (Sandy Pike #1) by John Spearman has been honored with the B.R.A.G. Medallion (Book Readers Appreciation Group). It now joins the very select award-winning, reader-recommended books at indieBRAG.

We are proud to announce that FITZDUNCAN (FitzDuncan #1) by John Spearman has been honored with the B.R.A.G. Medallion (Book Readers Appreciation Group). It now joins the very select award-winning, reader-recommended books at indieBRAG.

 

Releases and Pre-Orders! The Resolve of the Commonwealth (Book 3 of the Perseverance Andrews series) publishes on 1-November. The audiobook version of The Defense of the Commonwealth releases on 24-October, and the audiobook version of The Courage of the Commonwealth is available for pre-order now.

The Resolve of the Commonwealth, the third and final book of the Perseverance Andrews series, publishes on 1-November. It is currently available for pre-order on amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CFG4B36W).

The audiobook version of The Defense of the Commonwealth releases on 24-October. I was privileged to be given an advance “listen” and I am thrilled with the narration by Alex Picard. Alex brings Perseverance Andrews to life! To purchase, please go to: https://podiumaudio.com/audio-book/the-defense-of-the-commonwealth/

The audiobook version of the second book in the Perseverance Andrews series, The Courage of the Commonwealth, is now available for pre-order (https://podiumaudio.com/audio-book/the-courage-of-the-commonwealth/). The audiobook is scheduled for release on 21-November. Having heard Alex Picard’s narration of the first book, I can hardly wait to hear her reading of the second!

The last item in this update is confirmation of the scheduled publication of Pike’s Purpose, the fourth and final book in the Sandy Pike series. Pike’s Purpose is now available for pre-order at amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CHPKGY7X). The publication date is 1-January, 2024.

Audiobook pre-orders for "Defense"

 The audiobook version of The Defense of the Commonwealth is now available for pre-order on Amazon and Audible! The official release date is October 24. Produced by Podium Audio, and narrated by Alex Picard (no relation to Jean-Luc), I will share a sample of the audio when Podium releases it to me.

This will be the only audiobook in my library (until The Courage of the Commonwealth is released). The audiobook versions of my other books have been canceled and removed. I just received the manuscript of the third in the series, The Resolve of the Commonwealth, back from my editor. Podium will be producing the audiobook version of it as well.

Silver Medal for Defense, covers for Resolve and Purpose, FitzDuncan ad

 

The Defense of the Commonwealth was just awarded the Silver Medal in the 2023 Readers' Favorite Book Awards in the category of Science Fiction (https://readersfavorite.com/2023-award-contest-winners.htm).

Podium Audio plans to release the audiobook version on October 1. 

The following video was recently created to promote the FitzDuncan series. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. 

Finally, the extremely talented Thea Magerand has completed cover designs for my next two releases. The first is The Resolve of the Commonwealth, the third and final book of the Perseverance Andrews series. The second is Pike's Purpose, the fourth and final book of the Sandy Pike series. Take a look:

FitzDuncan's Inheritance, Podium Audio, The Resolve of the Commonwealth, and Pike's Purpose

 

The publication date for FitzDuncan's Inheritance, August 1, is approaching rapidly. The book is available for pre-order on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C74W97X2

Podium Audio has selected a narrator for the first two books of the Perseverance Andrews series. According to Podium, "Alex brings a lifetime of work in the theatre as a classically trained actor and director to her work in front of the mic. With an MFA in theatre from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and a background in Shakespeare, she excels at connecting listeners to the author's world and is a whiz at accents. A theatre teacher for 23 years and a Boston native, she records from her home studio, is an accidental gardener and once ran a marathon on purpose and not while being chased."

I have listened to some of her work for other authors and it is super. I am excited to hear her tell these stories!

The Resolve of the Commonwealth, the third and final book in the Perseverance Andews series is in the hands of my editor. He is rather deluged with projects at the moment, so it will probably be two months before he returns the manuscript with his suggestions. The wonderfully talented Thea Magerand will be designing the cover for the book soon. Once that happens, it will be available for pre-order. I hope to be able to release the book by mid-November.

Pike's Purpose, the fourth and final book in the Sandy Pike series, has been sent to beta readers. Once I hear from them with their feedback, I will send the manuscript to my editor. Fair warning: though Sandy Pike appears in the book (of course!) he is not the main focus. Another character from the earlier books steps to the fore. The book also delves into some of the inner workings of the Hegemony, the Planetary Alliance's foe in the first three books. I am eager to learn what my beta readers think of the approach.  If all goes well, it is possible Pike's Purpose could publish yet this year, though January 2024 is a safer bet.

In the meantime, I am already moving forward on the next FitzDuncan book. There never seems to be a shortage of important things happening in the kingdom of Aquileia. Thank all the Gods, Major and Minor, for that!
 

Podium Audio, FitzDuncan's Inheritance, and the next Perseverance Andrews novel

It gives me great pleasure to share with you that I have contracted with Podium Audio for the Perseverance Andrews series of science fiction novels. The company describes itself in this way: "Podium is a leading digital-first publisher whose mission is to change the lives of trendsetting storytellers by discovering, developing, and amplifying their work."

Podium's focus is on science fiction, fantasy, and romance. They are one of the fastest-growing companies in the business. I certainly hope the Perseverance Andrews books both contribute to this growth and benefit from the increased exposure.

The next book in the FitzDuncan series will be published on August 1. FitzDuncan's Inheritance sees Caz joining a diplomatic mission to call upon the nomads to the east. Upon his return, he and Fenwick are assigned a dangerous mission in foreign territory to gather intelligence regarding an old enemy's preparations for war. After capture and a daring escape, Caz and Fenwick return just in time to provide a warning. I don't dare tell you more--too many spoilers!

Once again, Thea Magerand has done a fabulous job with the cover!

The first draft of the third Perseverance Andrews novel is fifty percent complete. For those of you who were upset by the cliffhanger with which I ended the second book, be assured that I resolve it quickly. Quickly, however, does not mean painlessly (c'mon--you didn't think I'd tell you, did you?). Look for this novel sometime in the fall (I hope). 

Until the next time, thank you for reading.